TRP: Finch, Larkin, and Roddy (Partners)
Izzy: Day 213, Mishka's estate. "I was so fucking worried about you." "Uh-huh." Finch stared off into space. He knew he'd normally shrug off and complain about the way Jonn was clinging to him, but he kind of didn't mind it right now. He had too much other shit to worry about. Like how the fuck he was going to keep the Sanguines from killing him. Or how he could get that gold back. If he should've told Larkin to grab the gold instead of the intel, since some of that was in his head -- the important shit, like her aunt. And how he was fucking stuck here on Mishka fucking Haeth's estate with the fucking Graverunners because he didn't have anywhere else to go. He just sat on the back stairs, looking out at the sun beginning to set over the ocean. He kind of liked the ocean, at least. It was a nice view to probably get stabbed looking at. Jonn sat on the stair behind him, all wrapped around him, chin on his shoulder, and Finch heard him take a breath like he was going to say something else, but then he didn't. They both just sat there, staring out at the sea. Jen: ''' Larkin came out the back door with enough noise to announce herself. She wanted to check on Finch, not give him a fucking heart attack ontop of his other injuries. Jonn was there, too,and Larkin scowled seeing him. Clung to Finch like some kind of fucking ivy. "Hey," she said, and coming closer added, "Fuck off for a minute, alright Jonn?" '''Izzy: Finch startled a bit at the noise behind him, and felt Jonn straighten and turn to check it out, then relax. He raised a hand as Larkin came into view, and dropped it when she told him to get lost, but didn't move until Finch shrugged at him. "'Kay," he muttered, and pulled himself up to wander off into the house. Finch shuffled to the side a little, making room for Larkin to sit next to him. He thought about saying something about ... being surprised she'd come for him. It was the gold, probably. Jonn must've told her about the gold and intel. That was it. Jen: ''' Larkin paused, eyeing the spot next to Finch, then decided it'd be more awkward if she didn't sit now, so she did. "How're... your injuries?" She asked, only glancing at him briefly. '''Izzy: He shrugged, not looking at her. "Fine. Jonn's sister fixed me up." He rubbed his arms for a moment. It was fuckin' chilly out here and he didn't have warm clothes. He was lucky he even had his boots on. "It's fucking ... funny, right?" He shifted. "I guess this is the shit I get for helping Wyn take down the Basha. Fucking karma." Jen: ''' "Shit belongs to those who take it, ain't that what the priests are saying?" Larkin picked up a pebble and threw it at the sea. It landed in the grass. "Doubt Mask cares what thief you're working for, as long as you're stealing stuff." She gave him a side glance. "Pity about that gold." '''Izzy: Finch scowled. "Yeah, well, Mask never did fucking like me, did he." He was quiet for a second. "Yeah. That gold, I was, uh ... I was skimming it off the top for a while, off the jobs Wyn had me running. Slow and careful. Had a fucking plan, and all. I guess she noticed, though." Jen: ''' "That bitch's got a fucking spiderweb of eyes." Larkin shrugged. "Guess it's a miracle you got away with fucking her over as long as you did. She even got into the damn castle. Even the ones I locked." '''Izzy: "Yeah, she's got people that fucking teleport, and shit." He mulled that over for a moment. They never had talked to Asya about helping them out -- he didn't know if she would. Shallah wouldn't, though, no matter how much she fucking inexplicably liked Jonn. He cleared his throat. "At least we got some of the gold." Jen: ''' "Yeah." Larkin nodded slightly, then fell silent, feeling bad for him. The gold they'd gotten was a meager fraction of what'd been in the chests and the others had even split it among themselves. No doubt it had been meant for Finch's plan to get out of Skyport. '''Izzy: He picked at his sleeve a bit, arms still crossed. "It doesn't -- fucking mean anything, now, but, ugh. I mean, fuck Wyn, right? That, partially. Principle of the fucking thing. Fuck her. Coming into our goddamn city. Fuck Skyport, too, but ..." He trailed off. He was getting off-topic because it was preferable to admitting shit. "Anyway, that fucking gold, I was saving up when I was working for Baron, but it would've taken a long fucking time, and then Wyn came along and she's fucking loaded, so I took advantage of the situation, 'cause --." He waved that part off; it didn't need explanation. Of course he took whatever opportunity he could. "Whatever. I wanted to fucking pay off your debt to your uncle, that's all. Before I got out of fucking Skyport. Clean slate. It just didn't all fucking go to plan. Big fucking surprise, right." He wrapped his arms around himself, ducked his head, and he didn't fucking say, I thought maybe when I left, you'd come with me. Jen: ''' "You- you what?" Larkin stared because she must've had a fucking stroke or something, because she could swear Finch had just said he wanted to pay off her debt. "Why? I mean- " She shifted away from him and shook her head, incredulous. '''Izzy: He scowled. "Oh, fuck you, 'cause --." He stopped there, too, and shifted away from her uncomfortably. "'Cause it's your fucking money. You fuckin' bailed me out. It's not like I'm doing you a favor." Jen: ''' Larkin scowled back and considered dropping it, just accepting the kindness but... well, fuck, something seemed to have changed in the time they'd spent ignoring each other because about two years ago, that'd sounded way differently. "I thought we were even," She said. "Or- no. Not even. I was just trying to silence my consciousness was what you said. Back then. You don't think I deserve that debt anymore?" '''Izzy: He rubbed his arms and worried his tongue against the back of his teeth, looking away. "I mean, fuck you," he said. "Still fuck you. For fucking ... abandoning me. But I maybe could've given you a fucking chance to -- eugh." He shifted to scrub at his face. Jen: ''' "To what? Finch?" Larkin ignored that jab at her leaving him, though it stung. Wouldn't make any sense to argue that she hadn't abandoned him, hadn't just left him to die because, well, she'd thought it had already been too late. They'd gone over this before and it'd led nowhere. Especially since he was right. She had left him behind. "Just fucking say what you want," she hissed. "Since when d'you got a problem saying stuff to me, huh?" '''Izzy: He hissed through his teeth. She had a fucking point. "Those first fucking days after --." He swallowed back, After you fucking abandoned me to die, fuck you. "I fucking hid in this inn, in a fucking corner of a room with all the furniture piled up in front of the door and the window. And I was fucking angry at you for doing that to me. And I'm still fucking angry, but -- you're not the one that fucking did it." He grit his teeth. "I kept thinking, she didn't come back for me, she should've come back for me, and then this wouldn't've fucking ... happened." He shifted. The leg that'd been healed wrong ached in the cold, and he stretched it out a little. "But then it would've just fucking happened to you too. And -- you did come back for me." Too late, he'd thought. Too fucking late, too little, fuck you, fuck you, if you gave a shit you would've done more. "And I maybe should've given you a fucking chance to make it up to me instead of just fucking off and hiding in a fucking inn by myself." Jen: ''' "Mask." Larkin pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her face in her hands. "What the- where the fuck did that come from, huh? You need to almost die again to realize that? Shit, man, I'm... god. Fuck, I'm fucking sorry. You know how long I couldn't fucking sleep in our place 'cause you weren't there? Wasn't like I just forgot about you, you were... " she ran her fingers through her hair, head shaking. "I was so scared. I didn't know what to do." '''Izzy: He scuffed his heel at the lower steps. Fuck you, how fucking scared do you think I was, and I don't fucking care if you're sorry, it doesn't mean a fucking thing, and Good, I hope you still can't fucking sleep, I hope you get fucking nightmares too. None of that came out, though. He still thought it, but it didn't come out. "I was being an asshole," he muttered. "I know. I was fucking scared too." He pulled his leg back up to rest his arms on top of his knees and dropped his voice a bit more. "Still fucking scared. But we should fucking stick together, I guess." Jen: ''' Well, wasn't that grand coming from him. Larkin forgot to feel guilty for a moment and scowled at him. "Yeah, man. I fucking tried, didn't I? I came back. But you..." She scoffed and waved a hand. "Don't fucking tell me you're over it. I know I... let you down, but I came back for you. Wasn't me who wanted us to not be partners anymore ,'s what I'm saying." '''Izzy: "Yeah, I know it fucking wasn't," he snapped, then caught himself before adding, Except for when you fucking left me to die. "And I'm not saying I'm fucking over it, not --." Not when he apparently still fucking woke up swinging, and couldn't entirely tamp down the nasty shit he wanted to say to her, and was still kind of fucking sure that he hated her. He just didn't only hate her. Still would've been fucking easier and felt great to tell her to fuck off, then, and that he'd tried, which was more than she'd done for him, and shove himself up and stomp off ... fucking somewhere. He was in enemy fucking turf now, as far as he was concerned. He shouldn't've started this conversation here -- he was fucking trapped in it now. "I'm just saying," he tried. "Not like I fucking want us to be partners again, but I don't ... fucking hate working with you, and -- we could get a drink now and then, or something, if Wyn doesn't fuckin' kill us both." Jen: ''' "A drink." Larkin started to laugh but cut herself short. Wasn't fucking funny. "A drink. So you what, hate me, but not enough to not get wasted with me? You still don't wanna be my partner anymore but somewhere," she rolled her eyes, "along the way you decided you owed me money or what the hell that's about? 'Cause you don't." Lark, he kept calling her. And tried to pay her debt. As if they were friends, but he seemed pretty set on that they weren't. Larkin didn't get it, and she was aware she was rambling, about to snap at him, so she clenched her jaw shut and looked down at her hands. '''Izzy: Finch grit his teeth and glared at the stairs under them, then raised his head to glare out at the ocean, too. "Fine," he said shortly. "Fuck you. I gave it a fucking shot. Fuckin' mistake. Fuck you." He shoved himself up, grabbing the bannister for support, and tried to storm off but only really managed a pathetic limp up onto the porch, heading for the door. Jen: ''' "Oh, come on." Larkin twisted to look after him. "Am I fucking wrong or what? Hey!" Finch didn't stop so she got up and went to slip in between him and the door. "Just- okay, look." She held out her hands before letting them fall to her sides. Wasn't going to touch him if he didn't want her to. "I'm sorry. It's just not what I fucking expected of you." '''Izzy: He stopped -- because he didn't have much of an immediate fucking choice -- and scowled. She wasn't fucking wrong, and he didn't really want her apologies anymore. It was fucking complicated and confusing. He missed her and he still kind of fucking wanted to punch her, but he didn't want to want to punch her, it -- it was fucking simpler to not think about it, and not feel anything about it, and chug some vodka instead and pass out. Fuck, it was easier to just hang out with Jonn and Asya and try to forget Larkin had ever been his friend. He crossed his arms and shifted his weight. "Well, I fucking ... wanted to pay you back, so we'd be even before I fucking got out of Skyport, that's all. So you'd be square with Renar." Those were slightly different things, wanting them to be even and wanting her to not be in trouble with her uncle. And it'd turned into -- "Then I guess I thought about how much fucking gold that was, and ... you coming back for me at all when you didn't fucking have to." He shifted again, leaning back, looking away. "And all the fucking times we got each other out of shit, and ... It's not like I'm not fucking pissed, still, I just fuckin' miss your shit, sometimes." Jen: ''' "Well, I... man." She looked down at her dusty boots, grinding her teeth together. They'd been friends and partners for so long, lived in a tiny attic together and been as close as family, despite their constant bickering. It'd been part of it all. But this... was different and Larkin didn't know how to deal with it. Wasn't like back when she'd gotten Finch out of the prison either, when he'd snapped insults at her. Bickering was easy. Anger, too. This... not so much. "I didn't think you would," she said, trying not to let it show how much it pained her. "After all of it? I mean, I don't want you to, don't get me wrong, but would've been fucking easier to just... y'know, ditch me. That'd make us even." '''Izzy: He kept scowling. "Yeah, I know it would've been fucking easier, but it's not what I fucking wanted to do." Jen: ''' "Well, I'm telling you, if you want to be even, don't give me any fucking money." Larkin felt her patience running thin. The way he talked there was some other reasoning behind it, one he didn't want to fully admit to. Didn't want to be partners but wanted to hang out? Be friends or what? How that was any different Larkin had no idea. He'd have to fucking spell it out to her. '''Izzy: "Fine." He scoffed harshly, and muttered, "Not like I fuckin' have any now, anyway." He tapped the toe of one boot against the porch and finally looked at her. "I just figured we couldn't be even 'til you were in the clear with your uncle." Jen: ''' Larkin sighed and sat down heavily. "Doesn't fucking matter now anyway, huh? He's gone. Left me behind." She cringed at the sound of that. '''Izzy: "Yeah, well, fuck him, then." It was automatic, because fuck Renar Basha, was a common thought, but then he winced a bit, glancing off to the side. He felt awkward standing over her, so he sat down beside her again, just as fucking awkwardly. "Can't believe he fucking thought you'd let something happen to your dad, or whatever. He should've sent Bretta to make sure nothing'd fucking happened to you too." He chewed on the inside of his cheek and thought about saying more, but didn't. Jen: ''' "I don't fucking know. He... might've just... ah, I don't know." Didn't matter anyway. Finch didn't want to hear about her excuses for Renar and she herself wasn't sure she could believe it. It just stank. Better to change the topic. "So... you taking Jonn with you when you get out?" '''Izzy: "I dunno," he muttered sullenly. "He's his own fuckin' person. He goes where he wants." He'd thought about it, though. Jonn liked Skyport -- Finch figured he'd stay behind. And it wasn't like Finch hadn't done a fucking lot to try to drive Jonn off, anyway. Same fucking thing he'd done to Larkin, then had the guts to think, Maybe if I pay off her debt, everything'll just be fucking peachy, and we'll go off to find some fucking town of our own to run. Yeah fucking right. Jen: ''' "Well, if you do thinking about taking him, don't. He's a backstabber and a fucking psycho. Hate for you to.... to get out 'n get fucked over by that little shit. Is all." '''Izzy: "Mask," he grumbled. "I've spent a lot more fucking time with him than you have, Lark. I know what I'm dealing with." He scowled down at the floor. Same thoughts; would've been easy to snap at her about how between her and Jonn, only one of them had a track record of stabbing him in the back. Jen: ''' Larkin mimicked his scowl. Well damn, that had gone well. She thought about leaving it at that and just shut the fuck up but actually... well, maybe she'd get through to him on another way. She nudged his side, and turned the scowl into a smirk. "You never been good with people, though." '''Izzy: He scoffed. She wasn't fucking wrong. Ehn, if it wouldn't come across a little too fucking real, he'd say something about how being partners with her for so long was proof of that, but that was probably ... too fucking much. Maybe later. Maybe there'd be a later. "Yeah, fuck you," he grumbled, toothlessly Jen: ''' "Hm. Yeah." Larkin dropped her gaze to a stone on the ground and kicked it. "Guess I'm proof of that, huh." '''Izzy: The scowl that'd softened a bit came back, and he looked off to one side. "Look, I'm not gonna fucking argue with you and tell you you're wrong, if that's what you're going for. Not fucking there yet." Jen: ''' "Nah." She snorted. "Really, that's the last fucking thing I want. It's just-" and she nudged him again, "I know you a bit too well. " '''Izzy: He gave her a side-eyed look. "You fucking getting at something?" Jen: ''' "Huh? Like what?" She looked at him confused. "Just saying I know it's what you're fucking thinking. Man, we spent, what, ten years together? Gotta get to know a guy in that amount of time." She shuffled a bit to get more space between them and muttered, "saved your ass a lot of times, too." '''Izzy: He grumbled wordlessly. "Yeah, well, don't fucking ... Just because I'm thinking it doesn't mean I'm gonna say it." He shuffled back away from her, too. "I think a lot of shit. I fucking know you saved my ass plenty of times, that's why I fucking kept my mouth shut. I'm trying to be goddamn fair and reasonable and all that fucking well-adjusted bullshit." He made a disgusted sound. Jen: ''' "Uh-huh?" Larkin couldn't bite back the comment. "That's new." '''Izzy: "It's fuckin' bullshit," he agreed with the usual scowl. Jen: ' "Well, ah..." She cleared her throat. "Thanks for trying I guess." '''Abby: ' Days in which nobody died were always good days. And yeah maybe Jonn got kinda roughed up, and Finch too, but they got 'em out safely. But then as soon as they got back, Jonn vanished for a minute. Roddy found him again pretty quick though, but by then he'd already got into a sulk. Turned out Larkin and Finch had run him off. (What for Roddy had no idea- rather not poke at that either.) So Roddy hugged him, settled him on the couch, and proceeded to swamp him in blankets, food, and some terrible tea. Eventually though Roddy figured he should expand the fretting a little bit. There was someone else who'd got roughed up too. So he grabbed a couple blankets, made another couple sandwichs, and ushered Jonn outside. "Hey Larkin, hey Finch!" Roddy called loudly. Best not to startle skittish stabby people. "I brought blankets and food!" Finch didn't like the touching so Roddy just dropped the blankets on his head and let him fiddle with them. "Should be one for both of you," he said, finding a spot to sit just behind them. '''Izzy: Jonn had meant to go find Hansel, but Hansel was busy with Goro and the others since they'd gotten back, strategizing. Jonn couldn't help with that. And Luci was staying with Kheman, and Jonn couldn't help with that, either. And Finch didn't want him around. Roddy did, though. That helped, even if he was still feeling something he didn't like -- unneeded and unwanted and alone and restless -- it faded a lot with Roddy there, all trying to take care of him and stuff. That was nice. Roddy cared about him, so he couldn't wander off and do something bad, 'cause then Roddy'd be upset and wanna help him, and Roddy was the little brother (kind of?) so Jonn was supposed to be helping him. He watched carefully and thought it seemed like maybe Roddy was just looking for stuff to do, too, so he figured he'd kill two birds with one stone -- haha, two birds -- and tell him about Finch and Larkin sitting outside in the cold. He wasn't gonna go along, but then Roddy just kinda made him, and that was okay, too. He kind of hung back, though, holding the truly awful tea Roddy had made (it was warm even if it was bitter and grassy), until Roddy dropped the blankets onto Finch and Larkin. It was pretty fucking funny the way Finch sputtered and flailed until his head was free again, but Jonn came up even with the two of them to help anyway -- Finch passed one of the rumpled blankets to Larkin, and Jonn pushed the mug into his hands and took over settling the other one around his shoulders. This was good. He felt better. He settled himself against Finch's side, as Finch blinked down at the mug, and at the blankets, and back at Roddy as if he had never been quite this fucking confused. Jen: ' "Oh, hey Roddy." Larkin accepted the blanket and began wrapping herself in it. This was pretty nice and Roddy would be good to bridge the awkward silence tthat'd grown between Finch and her. She gave Jonn only a glance before shifting aside so Roddy would have some space to join them. '''Abby: ' "I'll stay back here, looks crowded," he said. "Thanks though." For good measure he patted Larkin's back briefly, then settled in leaning against a post. Finch's face though. Roddy snickered a little. "Here," he said, nudging the plate at Larkin and Finch's elbows. "I brought food too. You might not wanna drink the tea though, Dad does that better. A lot better." '''Izzy: "It's good," Jonn lied encouragingly, and nudged Finch's hand to try to get him to drink it. Finch narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying it, but did reach for the sandwiches and position them where he and Larkin could both reach them. "I'm not fuckin' thirsty," he muttered, and when Jonn elbowed him, added, "I mean, uh, thanks, though, Roddy. I'm sure it's ... great." Jen: ''' Larkin eyed the food, the tea, and Jonn, and settled on taking a sandwich. "Tasty," she said after taking a bite, nodding appreciatively. "Everything good inside? Someone watching the entrances?" She pointed a thumb at the house. 'Abby: ' "I have no idea, I have assigned myself nursemaid duty, not door-watcher duty," Roddy said with a shrug. And on that note- "It's not good and you know it," Roddy said to Jonn, reaching over and poking him. "I saw that face you made and you saw the face I made. Why'd I even let you drag that out here. It's nasty." Well. Too late now. And Roddy wasn't going to fuss over it too much. "I can get water if you you do get thirsty," he offered. '''Izzy: "It's warm," Jonn insisted. Finch prickled at the mention of guards. He didn't know how secure this fuckin' place was -- he'd come to sit outside because at least this way he'd see people coming. Surely the Graverunners hadn't made it this far by being fucking idiots who left their doors unguarded. Still, he shifted uncomfortably, and grumbled, "We don't need a fucking nursemaid, we need to be fucking safe." Jonn elbowed him again, and he scowled. Jen: ' "Oh, man," Larkin muttered and peeled herself out of the blanket. "I'm gonna go check. Be right back." '''Abby: ' Roddy sat up a little straighter. He hadn't thought about that, exactly. "Well, maybe we're the back door guards then?" he said. "I'm sort of a doofus on that but the others are better about it, I'm sure it's fine," he said quickly. '''Izzy: "For fuck's sake," Finch muttered, shifting uncomfortably and watching Larkin go. "How've you people fucking stayed alive this long?" "Everyone isn't a fucking paranoid bastard and most of'em don't get murdered," Jonn reminded him. "Yeah, well." He raised the mug to his face and remembered to not drink it, just let the steam warm his face and sniffled. Jonn cuddled closer against him and looked over his shoulder to tilt his head at Roddy, for him to join them. He wondered if tortles were like turtles and snakes, all cold blooded. Roddy needed to stay warm. Abby: ''' Roddy hesitated, it was crowded there and Larkin was coming back, but-- she wasn't here now. "Sure it's okay?" he asked, glancing at Finch. There had been vicious objections to any invasion of his personal space. Fun to tease him about, but Roddy liked being friendly to his friends. '''Izzy: Finch grumbled and pulled his shoulders in tighter, inadvertently scooting closer to Jonn to make more room. Jonn grinned and put an arm around him, and nodded to Roddy. Abby: ''' Well. That wasn't a no. Roddy squeezed in on Jonn's other side, lightly looping his arm around Jonn's back. This was good though he liked this. "If it helps I still got most of my magic, and I bet Goro does too, and y'know- Larkin and Dad don't need it. We're pretty good about smashing anything that pops its head up," he said, grinning. '''Izzy: Finch grumbled again, and grudgingly went, "Yeah, fuckin' ... great. Gonna be a real help when fifty goddamn Sanguines storm the house." Jonn elbowed him again, and he scoffed, and paused, and muttered, "Thanks for saving my ass before, though, Roddy." He shuddered a little. He was trying to not fucking think about it -- surrounded, helpless, bleeding, alone -- not alone, though. Not alone. Not now, either. Abby: ''' Roddy beamed. "You're welcome. You're my friend and all, you know. Couldn't leave you behind. And we'll make sure that you're safe whatever happens. Both of you." Roddy rested his chin on Jonn's head briefly. Maybe it was less useful now, that they got found out by the Sangiunes, couldn't do any more spying, but it was probably safer for them now. That was good. Roddy didn't ever want to see his brother showing up with arrows sticking out of him like that again. '''Izzy: Finch gave a low hmph about the whole friends thing, the not leaving him behind thing. He'd seen Larkin turn back on the rooftops, and her new partner and Roddy had acted pretty fucking quickly. And they hadn't left him behind. It would've been a lot fucking easier for them to do it, and they already had the intel. They'd probably just ... thought Jonn would snap if they didn't come back with him. Yeah. That was all. "Finch, I swear to god," Jonn threatened, and he scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, fucking fine -- thanks, Roddy. For the fuckin' save and -- the blanket and shit, too." Jonn leaned in to kiss his cheek, making him scowl and shy away, and added, "He means it, he's just a fucking asshole." Abby: ''' "Yeah well, looks like a lil excitement took some of the bite out," Roddy needled, grinning. Finch was fun, he got so riled. "S'okay. I'm used to it. From more than him too." Goro, for one. (Did they get along? That might be too much to ask for.) "Hey y'know. Offer still stands. If you want or need anything I can go get it. I make better hot chocolate than tea if you want something warm." '''Izzy: "I'm fine," Finch said sullenly, and waited for Jonn to elbow him into another thanks, but Jonn let it slide. He scuffed his boot against the floor a bit and huddled under his blanket. Abby: ''' Well, the offer was made. (Again.) Good enough. Roddy hummed, a quiet peaceful little tune. Who knows what tomorrow would bring, or even later today, but here, this moment- this was good. '''Izzy: end Title: Partners. Summary: Finch tells Larkin that he wanted to pay off her debt to her uncle, and sort of wants to be friends again. Roddy frets over his injured pals. Category:Text Roleplay